First Wizarding War

Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy, who was just as wealthy and pure-blood inclined as the Black family Narcissa descended from, between 1972 and September 1979.[7] The Malfoys lived a life of privilege and luxury at Malfoy Manor, located in the southern English county of Wiltshire. Her husband introduced Narcissa to the lifestyle of the Death Eaters, though she never became a Death Eater herself. The couple had one son, named Draco Lucius. Narcissa thus continued her family tradition of naming children after stars and constellations, like her name (narcissus) and her sisters (Andromeda and Bellatrix).

Between the wars

When the time came for Draco Malfoy to begin school in 1991, Lucius Malfoy wanted him to attend Durmstrang Institute, which only admitted pure-blood and half-blood students and taught the Dark Arts, which closely mirrored the Malfoy family beliefs. Narcissa, however, insisted that Draco attend Hogwarts instead so he would be closer to home, as Durmstrang was located in northern Europe. She was very devoted to Draco, sending him sweets and cakes by owl every day during his first year at Hogwarts.[10]

Second Wizarding War

Narcissa: "I see that being Dumbledore's favourite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you."

Harry Potter: "Wow... look at that... he's not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!"

Narcissa: "I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius."

Narcissa and Draco after their fall from grace and Lucius' impressionist

In 1996, her sister and brother-in-law escaped Azkaban. That same year, Lucius participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in an attempt to acquire a prophecy for Lord Voldemort, who had returned to power the previous year. Narcissa provided Voldemort with the info he needed to get Harry there after she gained it from Kreatcher the House Elf, who gave it to her both because she is a Black by birth and because she treated the attention starved house elf more kindly than her cousin Sirius Black, the elf's current master, did. The effort was thwarted by six D.A. members and members of the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort was furious with Lucius, who had led the effort, both for failing to obtain the prophecy and for the consequences of that night, which included the Dark Lord's return being recognised by the Ministry of Magic and many of his Death Eaters being sent to Azkaban, including Lucius himself.[8]

Though her sister Bellatrix managed to escape imprisonment, Narcissa was distraught over her husband's incarceration, as well as Voldemort's subsequent treatment of her family. That summer, she ventured to Severus Snape's home at Spinner's End, accompanied by Bellatrix, to discuss Voldemort's orders for Draco to murder Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

Bellatrix performs the Unbreakable Vow on Narcissa and Severus in order to protect Draco

Narcissa was hysterical and theorised that Draco was being sent on a suicide mission to punish Lucius for his numerous failures. Despite the pleading of her sister to the contrary, Narcissa brushed off Bellatrix scoffing when Narcissa claimed that "the Dark Lord [was] mistaken," and begged Severus to make an Unbreakable Vow, which ensured that he would watch over Draco during his efforts. She also made him vow to execute the plan himself, should Draco fail to do so. Later that month, she went shopping for school supplies with Draco at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where she had a heated confrontation with Harry Potter. He taunted her about Lucius's imprisonment, and she responded by coldly alluding to the recent death of his godfather before haughtily departing with her son to Twilfitt and Tatting's.

Throughout the school year, Draco enacted a series of unsuccessful attempts to kill Dumbledore, which eventually resulted in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and Snape's fulfilment of his vow to Narcissa.[11]

Home as headquarters

By 1997, Malfoy Manor was being used as a headquarters for Voldemort. A meeting of Lord Voldemort's inner circle was held there, and the murder of Charity Burbage took place in the drawing room. The Malfoys were extremely uncomfortable with the arrangements, despite their claims that nothing would please them more than to host the Dark Lord. After Lord Voldemort asked for a borrowed wand, Narcissa coaxed her husband into agreeing to give his wand to Voldemort; it was soon broken in the Battle of the Seven Potters.

Voldemort was still displeased with the Malfoys for Lucius's earlier failures and delighted in humiliating them by taunting their relation to werewolfRemus Lupin through Narcissa's niece, Nymphadora Tonks.[5]

Skirmish at Malfoy Manor

Bellatrix Lestrange: "Draco, move this scum outside. If you haven't got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me."

Narcissa: "Don't you dare speak to Draco like — "

Bellatrix Lestrange: "Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy!"

Narcissa with her son, Draco fighting off Harry Potter and Ron Weasley

When Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were caught by a group of Snatchers led by Scabior, they were brought to Malfoy Manor. Narcissa acted coldly and disdainfully towards Scabior, but let them in, where she called on her son to identify the prisoners and recognised Hermione from their encounter a year earlier in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. She clashed with her sister over who had authority in her home, and therefore over the prisoners held in her cellar: Harry, Ron, Dean Thomas, Griphook, Garrick Ollivander, and Luna Lovegood, the latter two of which had been held there for some time. All the prisoners escaped: Dean, Luna and Ollivander Disapparating with Dobby, while Harry and Ron went to save Hermione from Narcissa's sister, Bellatrix, who had used the Cruciatus Curse and her knife to carve the word 'mudblood' into the girl's arm. Later, in the brief duel that followed, Narcissa was shocked to see her family's former house-elf, Dobby, openly defying them. He was eventually murdered by Bellatrix as the group escaped the manor.[5]

Narcissa is present when Voldemort murders goblins

After Harry and his friends escaped to Shell Cottage, Lord Voldemort severely punished the Malfoy family, but did not act as harsh on Bellatrix. By the time of the Battle of Hogwarts, Narcissa had given her son, Draco, her wand to use in lieu of his own stolen wand, leaving both herself and her husband wandless. She was also present when Lord Voldemort interrogated and murdered goblins in a fit of anger after learning of Harry Potter's Gringotts break-in and thief of one of his Horcruxes.

During the final phase of the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort attempted to kill Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest using the Killing Curse. Voldemort demanded that someone check to see if Harry was, in fact, dead, a deed no one wanted to perform. Perhaps seeing an opportunity to discover her son's current condition, Narcissa volunteered. Seeing that Harry was still alive, she used the opportunity to covertly ask Harry if he knew of Draco's well-being. In a whisper, she asked if Draco was alive. When Harry replied quietly that he was, Narcissa betrayed the Dark Lord and asserted that Harry Potter was dead, as she knew the only way her family would be reunited was as part of Voldemort's conquering army.

When the battle recommenced, Narcissa and Lucius abandoned the Death Eaters and searched frantically for Draco. The family was present for Bellatrix's death at the hands of Molly Weasley and for Harry Potter's final defeat of Lord Voldemort, thus ending the Second Wizarding War. After the battle the family was reunited in the Great Hall, where they seemed uncomfortable with their predicament, but did not leave.

Later life

However, as Narcissa betrayed Voldemort and left him, the entire Malfoy family was granted a reprieve and avoided incarceration in Azkaban. Narcissa would eventually become a grandmother to Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco and his wife Astoria Greengrass.

Physical appearance

A middle aged Narcissa

Narcissa Malfoy is described as tall, slim, "nice looking", and very pale, with blue eyes, long blonde hair, and a clear, cold voice.[9] Her hair colouring thus differs from most of the House of Black, who generally have dark hair, though Narcissa does possess the arrogant good looks characteristic of her family. Despite her physical differences to her sisters, Bellatrix and Andromeda, Harry Potter does describe her as resembling Bellatrix somewhat, though Narcissa was as fair as Bellatrix was dark.

Narcissa's beauty was somewhat marred by her donning an expression that suggested that she was sniffing dung whenever she was in the company of those she considered her inferiors.[9] Harry Potter once insulted her son Draco by asking if she only had this expression when he was with her.

Personality and traits

Narcissa was a very proud woman who frequently displayed a haughty and disdainful attitude, looking down upon others. As she believed strongly in the importance of blood purity and valued her family's wealth, she was prejudiced towards Muggle-borns, other non-pure-bloods such as Fenrir Greyback, and so-called "blood traitors". For example, she once rudely exclaimed to the owner of Madam Malkin's that she would rather shop at Twilfitt and Tatting's since Madam Malkin's served "scum" such as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.[11] Despite her beliefs and her family's close ties to Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, Narcissa never joined the organisation herself, nor received the Dark Mark.

While she treated most people coldly, Narcissa was very loving towards and devoted to her family. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep her son safe when he was put in danger during the Second Wizarding War, from begging Severus Snape to take an Unbreakable Vow to help him[11] to lying to Voldemort himself.[5] She cared deeply about her husband and son, displaying a fierce and protective temper on their behalf, as well as ruthless determination to keep them safe.[5][11] It is unknown if this devotion extended to the Black side of her family, as her relationship with her sister Bellatrix Lestrange seemed to be deteriorating. This was, however, due to Bellatrix not caring about Draco; their relationship may, normally, have been one of caring. However, Narcissa always despised the Blacks who dared to defy their family's beliefs, such as her sister Andromeda Tonks and cousin Sirius Black, and as such, ignored and disowned them.

Magical abilities and skills

Love: Despite being usually cold to others who were not her immediate family, Narcissa was still capable of feeling love. She loved her husband and son dearly, and was willing to do anything to protect them, going as far as to secure an Unbreakable Vow from Severus Snape to ensure that Draco had some form of protection. This especially contrasted with her elder sister Bellatrix's obsessive love, as Bellatrix didn't love her own husband Rodolphus, instead focusing her attractions on Voldemort and was indifferent to Narcissa's concerns when Voldemort assigned Draco to kill Dumbledore, stating that Narcissa should instead be proud to have a son serving Voldemort. On the other hand, Narcissa shared her other sister Andromeda's capability of feeling genuine love, although she lacked Andromeda's kindness and tolerence for non-pure-bloods. Narcissa's love for Lucius and Draco even drove her to lie to Voldemort himself, given how it gave her and Lucius the chance to search for Draco, whom Harry confirmed was still alive. During the final battle, she did not attempt to participate in the fight, but searched everywhere for her son along with her husband until they eventually found him. Her timely abandonment of Voldemort's cause out of love for her family was what caused the Malfoys to avoid a sentence in Azkaban after the war.

Dark Arts: Narcissa was described as a Dark Witch by her former house-elf, so she could have possibly been a practitioner of the Dark Arts. This was highly likely, especially given her upbringing and connections.

Occlumency: Though it was never confirmed, it was still implied that Narcissa was probably a skilful Occlumens, due to her ability to effectively lie to Voldemort himself, who was believed to be the most accomplished Legilimens of his time. However, it should be noted that Voldemort might not have been using Legilimency when Narcissa lied about Harry's death, and the fact that it was her sister who taught Draco Occlumency must also be taken into consideration.

Duelist: Though not as powerful as her prodigious sister, Narcissa was a competent duelist in her own right, and was actually one of the very few who were unafraid to stand up to Bellatrix: she once used magic to repel her, and later held her own against Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in a duel.

Apparition: Narcissa appeared to be a mistress of apparition, perhaps even more skilled than Bellatrix. This was demonstrated when they both apparated into Spinner's End, with Narcissa making only a slight "pop"ping sound and Bellatrix's pop being somewhat louder. With apparition, it was generally considered that the quieter the 'pop', the more skilled at apparition that wizard or witch is, although Bellatrix may simply have been too desperate in chasing Narcissa to do it more quietly.

Relationships

Family

Lucius Malfoy

Lucius Malfoy, her husband and father of her son

Narcissa and her husband, Lucius Malfoy, appear to have an affectionate relationship. He gave in to her wishes when she wanted their son to attend Hogwarts, rather than Durmstrang. Lucius also allowed his wife to continue the Black Family naming custom of stars and constellations through their son, showing obvious respect for her family and deference to herself. Narcissa and Lucius both enjoyed being members of the social elite, and loved and spoiled their only child. Unlike Bellatrix, who did not hold love for her husband, Narcissa truly loved Lucius.

Narcissa was very upset when he was briefly imprisoned in Azkaban and became defensive when others mentioned his failures.[11] In 1997, when Lord Voldemort took over their home and demanded that Lucius give him his wand, Lucius looked to his wife in disapproval, and only when she touched his wrist did he turn it over.[5]

Draco Malfoy

"Put those away. If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do."

Narcissa adored her only child, Draco, and was very protective of him. She insisted he not attend the Durmstrang Institute because it was so far from home, and frequently sent him sweet and cake packages while during his first year at Hogwarts.

Narcissa was terrified to the point of hysteria when Draco was ordered by Lord Voldemort to kill Albus Dumbledore. Narcissa suspected that Voldemort meant him to fail as punishment for her husband's failure in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. To help him, Narcissa went to Severus Snape and begged for his assistance, whereupon she asked of him to make the Unbreakable Vow in which he promised to take over Draco's task if he failed.[11] Later on in the war, she tried to shelter Draco as much as possible. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Narcissa lied to the Dark Lord about Harry Potter's death so she and Lucius would be able to search for Draco in the castle.[5] Draco, in turn, held his mother in great esteem, and became extremely angry if anyone insulted her.

Astoria Greengrass

Narcissa and her husband Lucius didn't think highly of her, as she raised their grandson Scorpius to be more tolerant view on Muggles (and likely Muggle-borns, half-bloods, Squibs or even non-human magical creatures).

Because of this, family gathering are often fraught with tension. It is likely they see Astoria as blood traitor because of this. Her relationship with Scorpius in unknown.

Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix Lestrange, her elder sister

Narcissa appeared to have a fairly affectionate and close relationship with her older sister Bellatrix. The two fondly called each other by their nicknames of "Cissy" and "Bella". Bellatrix accompanied Narcissa to see Snape at Spinner's End, in spite of her distrust for Severus Snape and belief that they should not discuss the task Voldemort assigned in secret.

Narcissa was also one of the only people who was able to question Bellatrix's authority without unleashing Bellatrix's anger. The two sometimes clashed over Draco, as Narcissa was concerned about his welfare, while Bellatrix coldly stated her belief that he was doing his duty by serving Voldemort and that Narcissa should be proud.[11]
.

Andromeda Tonks and Sirius Black

Narcissa did not hold her late cousin Sirius Black or her older sister, Andromeda Tonks, in high regard, presumably because they were both "blood traitors" who were disowned by the Black family. Bellatrix claimed that she and Narcissa had not seen Andromeda since she married Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks, which would have occurred in the early 1970s. Narcissa also mercilessly threw Sirius's death in Harry Potter's face when he taunted her about Lucius's imprisonment in 1996.[11] For his part, Sirius held his cousin in contempt for her prejudiced beliefs.[8]

Harry Potter and his friends

Narcissa Malfoy: "I see that being Dumbledore's favourite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter. But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you."

Harry Potter: "Wow... look at that... he's not here now! So why not have a go? They might find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!"

Draco Malfoy: "Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!"

Narcissa Malfoy: "It's all right, Draco. I expect Potter will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius"

Harry held Narcissa in contempt due to his rivalry with her son and hatred of her husband. In the same respect, Narcissa held Harry and his friends in disdain and contempt: especially Hermione Granger, as she was Muggle-born, and Ron Weasley, as he was a blood traitor. Narcissa also held Harry in contempt for being Dumbledore's favourite student and associating with those whom she considered to be inferior.

When Voldemort "killed" Harry in the Forbidden Forest, she asked him whether Draco was still alive, as she knew that the only way she and Lucius could search for Draco inside Hogwarts would be as part of Voldemort's victorious army. Though she disliked Harry, she placed her family's welfare over Voldemort's goals. On confirming Draco's very much alive status, she plainly lied that Harry Potter was "dead". Harry was indeed not dead and was just pretending to be dead. This action of hers is a very crucial and important one for Harry's survival.

Severus Snape

Like Draco, Narcissa held Severus Snape in high esteem and trusted him due to him being an old friend of Lucius's. Unlike her son, she continued to invest her faith in him despite Lucius's imprisonment and Bellatrix Lestrange, her older sister, voicing doubts about him. When Draco was made a Death Eater and ordered to kill Albus Dumbledore as his first mission by Voldemort, Narcissa saw this suicide mission for what it was and went to Snape, who also knew Draco was being set up to fail, for help and got him to make an Unbreakable Vow to watch over Draco and take over if it seemed he would fail. How she reacted to Snape being a double agent is unknown but it can be assumed she was sympathetic since she and Lucius had ceased to be loyal to Voldemort for similar reasons and the fact that he was the one who convinced Voldemort to free her husband from Azkaban and was the only Death Eater who continued to treat Lucius with respect after his loss of favour, something even her older sister didn't do.

Kreacher

Like most of the Blacks except Sirius, Narcissa was held in high esteem by Kreacher the House Elf. She in turn treated the attention starved house elf more kindly than her cousin did. This enabled her to learn about Harry's love for Sirius Black. Thus she was able to provide intel to Voldemort that led to the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. That battle caused many tragedies for Harry and the Malfoys: It led to the death of Sirius Black and Lucius's imprisonment and further loss of favour, which in turn led to Voldemort making Draco a Death Eater. It's unknown how Narcissia reacted to Kreacher accepting Harry as his master, if she ever learned of it, but she was probably sympathetic due to the fact she and her family, like her cousin Regulus Black, regretted being loyal to Voldemort.

Etymology

Unlike many others of the House of Black, Narcissa does not appear to be named after a star or constellation.

The name Narcissa is derived from Narcissus, a beautiful but vain character in Greek mythology from which the term narcissism, which refers to vanity and elitism, is derived. The name can also be derived from the flower by the same name, also known as daffodil. The name of the plant may also be derived from the Greek word narkoa, "to numb", referring to its narcotic properties. There is also a Slytherin connection to Narcissa's name due to its association with the Narcisse snake pits [2].

Malfoy is derived from the French mal foi or mal foy, meaning bad faith or unfaithful.

J. K. Rowling stated that Narcissa Malfoy was not a Death Eater, but merely agreed with the philosophy of blood purity.

This is perhaps why, in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Narcissa is a character without 'Dark Magic' abilities.

Helen McCrory said, that in truth, Narcissa finds most of Bellatrix's behaviour pretty appalling and it is only through loyalty to her, and Lucius and Draco that she allows her to continue behaving in the way she does.

Also in the book version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Narcissa has blonde hair. In the first promotional pictures of Helen on set, Narcissa has long blonde hair as well; but in the later pictures, and in the film versions of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince she appears to have brown hair on top and blonde on the bottom; however, in both instalments of Deathly Hallows, she appears to have mainly black hair with more visibly seen blonde/white streaks. Her hair distinctly is a combination of the blonde hair characteristic of the Malfoy family and the dark hair characteristic of the Black family. This change in hair colour could also be seen to represent her growing disillusionment with the Voldemort and the Malfoy and Black families' traditional beliefs.

Narcissa Malfoy concept art by Andrew Williamson

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Narcissa and Lucius run through the Battle of Hogwarts when the fighting began again, screaming for their son. They appeared in the Great Hall at the end of the Battle, though appearing unsure if they should be there. In the film, Narcissa grasped her son's hand and began to retreat across the bridge, not looking behind her and walking as fast as possible. Lucius ran after them a few moments later.

When interviewed, Helen McCrory said that she had to film four different battle scenes for the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

In the film version of The Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, Dobby disarms Narcissa by snapping his fingers.

Although Dobby disarms Narcissa, he conveniently dropped the wand before he disapparates from Malfoy Manor, allowing Narcissa to recover it.

In Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Narcissa is seen holding another wand. This wand is the subject of a continuity error. Originally, Narcissa was to retrieve Draco's wand from Harry Potter when she checks him for signs of life in the Forbidden Forest. After Draco rejoins his family during the temporary ceasefire, his mother returns the wand to him. An alternate scene was to show Draco throwing Harry the wand when Harry leaps from Hagrid's arms, but this was not shown in the final cut of the film. Harry was shown to still have his wand after being carried back to Hogwarts by Hagrid. As such, the wand remains a continuity error, as both Harry, Narcissa and Draco are seen holding it in the same scene.

In the books, Narcissa seems to be somewhat more emotional than her film counterpart; she is noticeably hysterical and distraught when begging Snape to make the Unbreakable Vow in the book, whereas in the film she is much more composed and only seems slightly teary.

In a deleted (and non-released scene) from the Deathly Hallows Part 1, as Snape arrives at Malfoy Manor, Voldemort informs him that Narcissa has been 'most hospitable', to which Narcissa replies 'my Lord is always welcome here'. This is the only known full line that Narcissa has in the script.